St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1887-01-22
AMERICAN POllTENESS.
Good Manners simply the Cultivation q
Natural, Unaffected Courtesy.

Natural, Unaffected Courtesy.
The passen ger in the crowded stree
railway car is often disturbed BY the
conscious absorption of his masculine
neighbors in their newspapers when Q
woman enters and looks for seat. /,
she be young and pretty. there are ap.
parently seats enou ,h. however great
the crowd, and even il a man is slow
to rise. he may yet, with Mr.. Ready.
wit. cxhort his son sitting upon his
knee to get up and give the lady his
seat. The impatient passenger. in his
Indignation at the want of courtesy
upon the part of others. sometimes for
gets. indeed. to rise himself. But there
is always some Nathan comfortably
seated farther away whose amused
look says to the impatient but station
ary David: 'sThou art the man."
1t would be very unfair 10 gcneralize
from this frequent situation that the
American is uncourtecus. On the con-
trary. he is the most truly polite man
among men Of all nations Lady Nav
Ourneen. who is familiar with the socie-
ty and the manners Of many countries.
and who has been always accustomed
to hear Americans in Europe described
everywhere and with pungent emphasis
as ''tbOse Americans" was amazed
upon coming here to find universal
courtesy. I'm the street or at the rail-
way station" she said, Iii l ask any
body any question, receive the most
prompt and polite reply. Everybody
is q my service, not with much bowing
or flourishing. but heartily and honest
ly. have never seen such universal
courtesy" When she was asked
whether she had observed the absOrp-
ton of the street-car passengers in their
newspapers. she smiled and said that
she had never been obliged to stand.
because some one was sure to rise. But
in Paris she said that often rs she was
passing to a seat Mon sieur Crapeaud.
raising his hat politely. and saying.
warmly. Pardon! pressed by and Sc
cured the seat
Lady Mavourncen, who tells little
story with great humor. described .
scene in crowded church in Paris.
An apparent lady was disturbing every
body by pushing along toward a distant
chair in the row. when Lady MavOur-
neen arose to allow her to pass more
easily. and the apparent lady immedi-
ately slipped into my lady's chair and
held it fast. saying only. in reply to her
earnest remonstrancc: MADAME. you
left the chair; took il You have lost
it. Voila!" A vagabond of this kind
took the at of n gentleman who had
risen to help lady of strect-car.
When the gentleman returned he men,
toned to the intcrlopcr that it was his
seat. The interloper shrugged his shOul-
ders. remarked that it was an empty
seat when he took it, and that he should
continue to occupy it. .'lf you don't get
out of tina. seat, I'll take you out. v
was the rejo;nder; and the squatter
scOwled and abdicatcd.
Lady Mavourneen found. what every
lady will find, that she conld travel
everywhere in .the States" alone. with
entire safety and surrounded by the
utmost courtesy. The word ''lady''
with which she will be accosted by
hackmcn and porters and conductors is
spoken with kindly respect. and even
il some person in lady's garh
thrusts herself into the cue Of passen-
gers slowly advancing to the window
OF the ticket office to buy tickets. there
may be sour Looks and amazed stares,
but she will generally have her way.
So great is our courtesy that We honor
the counterfeit claim. The source of the
most serious objection to the demand
of suffrage for women is the secret ap-
prehension that men will lose their
sincere Difference, and treat women as
they treat other men. thus robbing life
of the tender romance of chivalric
courtesy. Emerson says of the success
full lover and his mistress: ''She was
heaven, while he pursued her as star;
can she be heaven If she stoops to such
an one as he?'
Yet, while this feeling is frequent
and seems 10 many very plausible, it is
women which is the real strength OF
this very movement. The European
sentiment for woman is still somewhat
medieval. She is still the goddess oi
the trOubad0urs and the minnesingers,
but 4 goddess who is treated rs the
South Sea Islanders treat their gods.
beating them when they are not pro.
pitious. To the American she is
Wordsworth's phantom Of Delight"
seen upon nearer vie ". and it is idle to
prattle about her "spherc. as if she
did not instinctly know it more truly
than men. The universal courtesy
which Lady Mavourneen remarked is
essential respect and kindliness Of feel
ing. which no more permits man tc
gild his seliishness with .'Pardon''
and touching Of his hat than it per
mits him to strike woman.
Yet although courtesy is essentially
in the heart. and is kind feeling rather
than respectful manner. i, is not worth
while to despise the manner. II We
must choose between the good heart
and suavity of address, between Boy.
thorne and Lovelace. Of course We
shall choose Bovthorne. But why no,
both? Why not the me"s sana IN corpore
saao.
The young American Of to-day puffi
his cigarette in the face of his partnc.
on the balcony, in the boat or in the
wagon. and smiles at the frilled Lo-
thario of yesterday bowing in his
lowered coat and paying stately COM
pliments rs stiff rs her brOcade to the
dame whom he addresses. The youth
is right in saying that the tlowered
coat and the stately compliment were
the dress and the speech Of an old
sinner. But he would be right also il
he remembered that familiarity breeds
contempt. and that he may wisely dis
trust his feeling for any woman who
does not put him upon his good be-